Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon D810 is a Semi-Pro DSLR camera with a 36.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Sony A7 II is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 24.0MP Full frame sensor. Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious altenatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting. Fortunately, you can't go wrong with any of these cameras as we rank them amongst Top 10 cameras in their classes. Nikon D810 is ranked #7 out of 89 Semi-Pro DSLR cameras with an overall score of 89 whereas Sony A7 II is ranked #8 out of 30 Pro Mirrorless cameras with an overall score of 89.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Nikon D810 and Sony A7 II before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon D810 and Sony A7 II. Sony A7 II is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 19mm narrower, 27mm shorter and 22mm thinner than Nikon D810.

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D810 and Sony A7 II.

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Sony A7 II is significantly lighter (381g ) than the Nikon D810 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since both Nikon D810 and Sony A7 II have the same Full frame sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

D810

A7 II

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Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

D810

A7 II

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Average

Max

Nikon D810 vs Sony A7 II: Sensor Comparison

Nikon D810 has a 36.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features EXPEED 4 processor. On the other hand, Sony A7 II has a 24.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. Nikon D810's sensor provides 12MP more than Sony A7 II's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Another difference between these two cameras is that Nikon D810's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the D810 and A7 II sensor size comparison.

Nikon D810 and Sony A7 II have almost the same sensor size so none of them has any significant advantage over other in providing control over depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Nikon D810 and Sony A7 II Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D810 and Sony A7 II for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Nikon D810 has an advantage over Sony A7 II. There are 280 lenses for Nikon D810's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 73 lenses for Sony A7 II's Sony E (NEX) lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Sony A7 II has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Nikon D810 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 88 lenses for Nikon F mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon D810 and Sony A7 II, below you can find their scores in five different aspects.
Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon D810 and Sony A7 II scores compare:

Nikon D810

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #6 out of 92 in Mid-size SLR camerasRanked #12 out of 1131 in all Cameras

Sony A7 II

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #8 out of 49 in SLR-style mirrorless camerasRanked #17 out of 1131 in all Cameras